Vehicle Description
In Southern California in 1949, Air Force Major Ken Brooks was in
the process of building his own hot rod, just like countless others
at the time. Brooks based his car on a modified Willys frame and
Willys six-cylinder engine. He had yet to figure out what sort of
body to put on the car, when he showed it to his friend Bill Tritt
who had a brilliant idea that would turn Brooks' car into a
sensation. Tritt, a marine architect by trade, convinced Brooks to
build a body out of a versatile new material called fiberglass,
which Tritt had become familiar with while working for Douglas
Aircraft, and later by building boats in his small Santa Ana
workshop. Brooks and Tritt, along with input from Brooks' friends
and family, worked up a design with both American and European
influences. Without the restrictions of working with metal,
beautiful compound curves could be easily formed in the new
material. Named the Brooks Boxer, the finished car was shown at the
1951 Motorama where it was an instant hit, prompting Bill Tritt to
expand his new boat business to include car bodies. Bill Tritt's
new enterprise was called Glasspar, which had quickly become the
leading specialist in fiberglass boats and boat parts. When the
first car body was built for Ken Brooks, they suddenly found
themselves in the sports car business as well. Bill Tritt would go
on to develop the Brooks Boxer into the Glasspar G2; a complete
sports car with a unique chassis that could accommodate a variety
of American V8 engines. Following hot on the heels of the G2, Tritt
and his Glasspar Company acted as a consultant to GM with their new
Corvette, and he also supplied complete bodies for the Volvo P1900,
the Kaiser-Darrin, and the Willys-based Woodhill Wildfire. Despite
low production numbers, the Glasspar G2's greatest success was that
it spawned the kit-car industry, which exploded later in the decade
as a distinctly American combination of hot rodding and sports
cars. Our featured 1953 Glasspar G2 is a spectacular, fully
restored example of this pioneering American sports car. Only 29
Glasspar G2s are known to exist, and according to information
obtained from Mr. Tritt, chassis number G253038 is one of just 10
built by Glasspar in their Santa Ana, California workshop and sold
as complete, assembled cars. In the included correspondence between
Bill Tritt and the previous owner, this car is also identified as
the only factory-built G2 to be fitted with the legendary Cadillac
OHV V8. Now fully restored and presented in marvelous period
appropriate colors of candy apple red over a white and black
cockpit, this G2 is one of the finest examples of this rare and
important American sports car we have encountered. Unlike later
mass-produced fiberglass cars, the G2's body was hand laid, so it
was remarkably strong and durable considering its light weight. The
build quality is surprisingly good as well, with the body appearing
very straight beneath the high quality paintwork. The lurid red
color scheme suits the G2's 1950s style wonderfully, with chrome
wire wheels and wide whitewall tires sparkling against the
brilliant paint and crisp white interior. The exterior brightwork,
while minimal, presents in excellent condition with high quality
plating on the bumpers, grille and windscreen frame. Seats are
trimmed in bright white upholstery with black piping and carpets to
a striking effect. The dash is all business with a flat panel
dressed in engine-turned alloy and fitted with a comprehensive
array of period correct Stewart Warner instruments. Typical for the
time, the banjo steering wheel was sourced from an early Ford V8.
Overall, the interior is quite well resolved compared to similar
cars of the era, enhanced by the first-rate restoration. With
overhead valves and nearly 200 horsepower, the 331 cubic inch
Cadillac V8 was suddenly the engine to have when it debuted in
1949. When the Caddy 331 was mated to the 1,900 pound Glasspar G2
chassis, the results were nothing less than thrilling. The only car
so equipped from the factory, it runs very well, with power sent
through a 3-speed manual transmission. While the chassis may not
have been exotic, it delivers good, balanced handling thanks to the
set-back engine and low center of gravity. The Glasspar G2 was a
unique coming together of Hot Rodder ingenuity with high-tech
sports car engineering. In the hands of its previous owner, this G2
has been shown at numerous important concours and would surely be
welcome at virtually any event in the future, particularly given
the newfound appreciation by collectors for these distinctly
American creations. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire one
of the finest G2s available; truly unique in being the only one to
leave the works with factory-supplied Cadillac power and now
presented in beautiful condition.
